Run This Town
by Doommonger 22
Summary: "Storybrooke does have a poor record when it comes to Sheriffs. Perhaps life insurance should come with the position." As David lies under the effects of the Sleeping Curse, it falls to Gold and Regina to come up with a quick-fix solution to maintain law and order in their town... Set immediately after Season 2, Episode 8. One-shot


**Summary:** "Storybrooke does have a poor record when it comes to Sheriffs. Perhaps life insurance should come with the position." As David lies under the effects of the Sleeping Curse, it falls to Gold and Regina to come up with a quick-fix solution to maintain law and order in their town… Set immediately after Season 2, Episode 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Once Upon A Time or any characters you recognise from it.

**Author's Note:** I'm from the UK, so Season 2 Episode 8 "Into the Deep" has only just aired. I don't think the actual show will cover this particular plot thread in any detail (no spoilers please), simply because I don't think enough time will pass between David being cursed and Snow and Emma returning to make it worthwhile, but I wanted to explore it anyway. Plus, the look Gold gave Regina when Henry was worrying that David was taking too long spoke volumes to me. Please read, review and enjoy as always.

**Run This Town**

After David falls under the curse, it is a long time before Henry drifts off as well. It is even longer before Regina breaks the tense silence that has developed. She nods at David.

"He's not waking up, is he?" It isn't a question as such, more a statement. Gold responds anyway.

"Not any time soon, no." There is another long pause before Regina asks the question that has been lurking at the back of her mind ever since David went under.

"The curse," she says. "Did I do something wrong?" Gold looks away from the sleeping Prince for the first time.

"No, the curse was fine." He sighs. "It was his exit strategy that was fundamentally flawed." Regina frowns.

"True Love's Kiss…"

"…Doesn't work in the Netherworld," he finishes. Her eyes narrow.

"You knew this?" He nods. "And you didn't _tell_ him?" Gold doesn't react when she raises her voice. When he speaks, his voice is the same quiet tone as always, somehow amicable and menacing in equal measure.

"You and I both know how dangerous Cora is. And while I've beaten her before, as you correctly pointed out, _this_ time I have a weakness. So it falls to Emma and Snow to stop her. That message _had_ to be delivered." He shrugs. "Would you willingly go under a Sleeping Curse if you knew that your only chance of waking up wasn't going to work?" There is a long and heavy silence.

"Charming would have," Regina says quietly, looking at the floor. Gold nods, and when he speaks there is a note of genuine regret in his voice.

"I know." Regina sits down. She looks visibly deflated. Gold doesn't think he's ever seen her look quite so defeated, not even after the curse was broken.

"We need to wake him up," she says eventually.

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" asks Gold. "I know I'm sure as hell not his True Love and unless there's something you're not telling me, you aren't either." He's not being deliberately difficult, Regina realises, he genuinely doesn't know. "We can't do anything until Snow and Emma come back. As such, we can only hope that David was right and Snow was waiting for him. Otherwise, we could be waiting a very long time."

"So what do we do?" asks Regina. "The town just lost its Sheriff! We have no idea how long he might be gone! We need to think long term. How are we going to keep law and order now?"

"Hmmm…" Gold says, thoughtfully. "Storybrooke does have a poor record when it comes to Sheriffs. One dead, one trapped in another land and one stuck in a Sleeping Curse. Perhaps life insurance should come with the position." Regina gives him a look that would kill a lesser man.

"Hilarious. Now help me work out what the hell we can do about this." They sit in silence for a long time, thinking. "I know," says Regina eventually. "I'll run the town. I've been doing it for the last twenty-eight years, it shouldn't be that difficult." Gold gives her an unimpressed look.

"I don't think that would go down particularly well with the people." Regina shrugs.

"Screw what the people think."

"And that, my dear, is probably why they hate you."

"Good point, well made." She looks across at him. "What do you suggest then?" Gold takes a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Well, I can think of three people who could probably keep this town in check until David, Emma and Snow are back with us." Regina thinks for a moment.

"Me too," she says eventually. "Same three?"

"One of yours wouldn't happen to be Mr Glass, would it?" asks Gold. Regina nods. "Then no, they are not the same three."

"What's wrong with Sidney?" Gold looks at her like she's gone mad.

"He's in a _mental_ ward dearie, remember? He admitted to kidnapping Kathryn Nolan, a crime I believe _you_ were responsible for." Regina scowls.

"You _helped_!" she hisses at him.

"Now now, your Majesty, we could play the blame game all day, but that won't solve the problem at hand, will it?"

"Alright," says Regina eventually. "Who's your third then?" They both know that the other two they've picked will be the same. Gold grins.

"I wouldn't expect you to think of her," he says, cryptically. Regina frowns… and then it dawns on her.

"You've got to be joking!" Gold's expression doesn't change. "This isn't fair," she says as she crosses Mary Margaret's apartment and begins to dig through the cupboards. Gold raises an eyebrow.

"What _are_ you doing?" he asks. Regina doesn't answer until she's found what she's looking for. A bottle of whiskey appears on the kitchen counter, followed shortly after by a glass.

"Liquid courage, Mr Gold. I have to go and ask Belle and the Lucas family for help. There is no way on Earth that I am doing that sober." She pours herself a substantial glass, but before she can raise it to her lips, the handle of a cane belonging to a certain sorcerer-turned-pawnbroker hooks round the glass and drags it the length of the counter in to Gold's waiting hand. He downs it without a second thought.

"Last call, your Majesty," he says, setting the glass back down on the counter. "Now let's go, before we're both too wasted to do anything useful."

X

The Sleeping Curse has been broken. David knows this, because he's looking up into the face of his wife who has just kissed him, he's lying in Mary Margaret's apartment not in a room full of fire and he's already asked Henry to pinch him six times to prove he's not dreaming.

Once the tearful reunions are out of the way, David remembers two other people who were around when he went under. They aren't there now. He turns to Henry.

"Where are Gold and Regina?" he asks. Their disappearance concerns him. Where those two go, trouble almost always follows. Henry just grins conspiratorially at him.

"Come on," he says, grabbing David's hand and dragging him out of the door. Emma and Mary Margaret exchange confused looks but follow anyway.

Henry's first stop is the Mayor's office. David frowns at this. Regina hasn't been doing much in the way of mayoral duty since the curse broke – no one in Storybrooke has the slightest inclination to listen to her and as such her capabilities as a Mayor were somewhat hampered. Why is Henry leading them here? Has Regina seized control again while her three most dangerous nemeses were out of the picture? David enters ready for a fight.

As such, he is very surprised when he finds not Regina, but _Belle_ sat behind the Mayor's desk. Regina is stood behind her and they are reviewing some kind of paperwork. They look up and smile as David, Mary Margaret and Emma enter. The latter two are perhaps even more perplexed than David; after all they have never actually met Belle before.

Gold is also present, sat in one corner with a cup of tea and a paperback and clearly only there to provide moral support. Judging from the distinctly uncomfortable looks on the faces of both women, David isn't sure exactly who he's there to reassure.

"Miss Blanchard, Miss Swan," says Gold as he stands, a smile appearing on his face that seems to be genuine. "Welcome back. And Mr Nolan," he says, "it's good to see you're awake at last." He gestures round the room with a vague sweep of his arm. "As we were two Sheriffs down, Ms Mills and I took matters in to our own hands somewhat." He winks at Belle, who blushes bright red. "We called in some help."

Emma and Mary Margaret are formally introduced to Belle, before Henry announces that their next stop is the police station. Gold decides to accompany them for want of something better to do, and David can't quite tell who looks more terrified that he's leaving them – Regina or Belle.

As they reach the Sheriff's Station, David is still wondering who Gold and Regina would have appointed as Sheriff. He is answered the moment they walk in the door. Mary Margaret grins. Henry and Gold exchange knowing looks. Emma bursts out laughing.

On the Sheriff's desk where she used to work, there is now a crossbow.

And on the deputy's desk, where she also used to work, are a stuffed wolf cuddly toy and several bottles of nail varnish.

Granny and Ruby have definitely made the station their own.

"How goes the watch, Sheriff Lucas?" asks Gold as they enter. Granny looks up from her paperwork and lets out a sigh of relief as she sees David, Mary Margaret and Emma are alive and well. Ruby looks up from painting her toe nails purple, lets out a squeal and leaps at Emma and Mary Margaret for a hug. David doesn't get a hug. He's too macho for that.

He crosses over to the chair next to the Sheriff's desk and takes a seat. Granny grins at him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." David looks round the station.

"You seemed to be coping pretty well without us." Granny pats the crossbow on her desk affectionately.

"We had it covered," she says. "We had it covered."


End file.
